Non-financial retirement planning

Tegan, I was catapulted into early retirement in my 50s. It is a shock to the system but the thing to do is to look ahead and list all the things you have wanted to do but haven't had time to do and then find out how to do them so that when you do retire you hit the deck running.

I have always been overactive, over 15 years into retirement my days are packed solid. I have activities I follow at home and those I go out to do and, occasionally days when I am so tired I just collapse on the settee.

I have just returned home from a long weekend, 2 days with DS and family in Yorkshire, coming home via DD in Hertfordshire. In that time I have coped with an excited 3 year old's birthday, including party at a local museum with 13 other 3 year olds, and family party that involved impromptu kickabout in the garden, involving adults and children with 3 year old's new football and planning decoration of DGD's bedroom, to be done in 3 week's time. Coming south I had a leisurely day with DD that involved a long swim in the local lido. Today I am having a quieter day, sat in front of screen editing a magazine. It is amazing how the hours get filled.

Babs; all that's keeping me going at the moment is the thought of retiring, but the thought of retiring is making me feel a bit depressed [in a 'so that's it' sort of way and a feeling of losing part of my identity]. However, the offer of working for a couple of days [which I thought I would be able to do till it was refused] isn't appealing now either even if it were offered. I actually want something to happen at work to make me leave eg an unreasonable request of some kind.

Tegan nice to hear from some one in a similar position. At the moment my boss says I can work 3 days but ....... We will see! In my case I hope I have less to worry about as work is stressful. Maybe I will find other things to worry about - perish the thought

Deedaa your DH sounds just like mine! Tv computer iPad or phone there is always something to do or watch. You have my sympathy He does love his work though so hopefully he can carry on!

Fingers crossed we are healthy enough to make these choices.

To be honest the 43 years I have spent with the DH should have made me realise that retirement would never be what I hoped. He is far happier with technology than he is with people and we probably wouldn't have had all the nice days out in the country, pottering round the shops, that I was looking forward to. At least now he has a reason for not going anywhere and it's not just his antisocial nature.

Babs; that's the position that I'm in. I can actually retire in September but, like a a lot of things in life, the good things about working keep leaping out at me and I'm worried that not working will give me more time to do what I do best which is 'worrying about things' . Deedaa; it's so sad when that happens; I know of so many people that made plans for their retirement, only for ill health to scupper those plans. There's also the problem of lnning lots of holidays only for a new found medical condition to push the cost of holiday insurance through the roof. I don't have the choice to reduce my days; where I work they changed the rules..after the boss started to work part time and decided no one else would be allowed to do that in the interest of continuity .

This is such an interesting thread so thank you Mollie

I can retire next July and some days I wish it was next week, other days I can hardly imagine life without work! At the moment my plan is to work 3 days but obviously a lot can happen in a year. I have always had interests outside of work and hope to spend more time doing the good stuff

You are all pretty positive in your attitude and seem very happy in your retirement which is great!

Deedaa so sorry to hear of your OH's illness

One thing that I wish I hadn't done is have ceiling lights ,the push and twist out sort, fine then when I was tall and just used a small stool and stretched. Now I wait until several go and have to pay the electrician. I've replaced them with (expensive) ones which have 10,000hours guarantee. I gather I have high ceilings but they never seem that high to me even though I've shrunk a tad. New builds are lower the electrician said. It's that sort of thing which irritates
. Thank you for the advice over the photos . Many were taken in the Shetlands where my grandmothers family came from and recorded their journey via photographic studio from Lerwick to Liverpool. They seemed to stop off and send photos togged up in their finery at every stop. They had intended to emigrate but settled in the Pool. There is a wonderful album of tiny photos called stamp photos . I think they were proofs as then people would order a batch as postcards to send off. There is one of my grandmothers great aunt with top hat and riding crop and lace jabot. I can't imagine Yell being big enough to ride anywhere. The hats are spectacular. The men quite dowdy.

By sheer coincidence I received a letter from the pensions people today telling me I have to wait until I'm 66 to claim my retirement pension. One year more to wait than expected. Never mind...

I was precipitated into early retirement through a generous voluntary redundancy scheme that had a deadline , not what I wanted to do but what was in my best interests.

Within 6 weeks of retiring I was back at university studying for an MA in archaeology, a serious interest I had had for years and had always planned to do when I retired. Since then it has been constant activity, archaeology,10 years of caring for four different sets of relatives, major renovation of our house in France, 10 years as a volunteer with Age Concern.

Sometime I really must sit down and plan my life in retirement.

I do think many men do find it more difficult. DH officially retired from employment and immediately became self employed. He only takes on work he wants. Initially he worked about half time, but all from home, no commuting but as years have gone by he has gradually wound it down. He is 70 now and just does the odd day or so every month, most of it office based at home. It has given him time to develop other interests and activities, social and leisure.

Deedaa, I'm sorry to hear about your OH's illness. Health is a major factor in retirement isn't it. Have to admit that my OH isn't very active nowadays and we still have a long time until retirement! I can only hope he turns into an energetic OAP when the time comes!

Sadly our retirement hasn't been at all what we planned. My DH had to retire early because of his cancer, instead of carrying on working a couple of days a week when he reached 65. Because his condition varies from day to day it's impossible to plan ahead or risk a holiday abroad, so no more of our trips to Italy. I'd never really thought about how much he would hate being stuck at home with nothing to do - but at the same time he doesn't really have friends and doesn't want to go anywhere. If I start doing anything myself he complains that I'm leaving him on his own. The upside is that so far we are better off financially than I thought we'd be and we have managed to do quite a bit to the house in the last couple of years.

Stansgran scan them all and keep a digital copy .Contact your area Public Records Office and donate them. I volunteer at one in Devon and such photos would be of real interest.

The first thing I did was to do 'A' level psychology with a distance learning association. I had a computer even in 2000 and as I lived in Germany it was very convenient. At first we had no GCs but they came along. My hus band does carpentry and has fixed himself a workshop in the cellar and has made some lovely furniture. I have lived half my life abroad, OH was in the States, England and France and so we don't have any 'wanderlust' left and like being home. I've done Creative Writing courses and have earned a few pounds but I'm not interested any more.
Since being retired I go to the afternoon bridge club and this remains my main pleasure. I play bridge online most evenings as well. I don't have full diary- I would hate that. I like to have the feeling that nothing is going on and just let things slide....

Stansgran the National Trust might be interested in the victorian crinolines and edwardian hats, either for displays or for their dressing up boxes. Would be a shame to throw those away.

Oh Stansgran, don't throw the photos out . Old photos are moments in time that can never be replaced. Give them to an antique shop or something and someone will buy them and treasure them. There are people that will give a home to an old photo even if they aren't their own family.

Good points Stansgran. It reminded me of my great aunts stash of unopened bedding that we found in cupboards after her death. The dated receipts were attached and clearly she'd bought a retirement bottom drawer of stuff but never got round to using them. Our gain though, lovely quality JLP bedding...

The thing that I find difficult is that I do not have the interest or energy to get things done now which i had before retirement. I did get a lot done to the house ,new roof, new drive just before retirement but now really hate having Decorators or workmen around. I dislike the idea of letting the house get shabby but I've found I don't want to be bothered. I wish I had revitalized the house much more before I retired. I also wish I had disposed of more stuff. I have a large box of photos of my grandmothers family,victorian crinolines and wonderful edwardian hats and carefully kept condolence letters which i found today and I felt these will be in a skip when I'm gone. Throw them out rather than hang on to them.

My fear is that we may not have a choice when either and then what? But I want to have some ideas in mind just in case. We were both divorced when we met, depleted circumstances and not much time to build up any resources. But that's ok for me, not him. It's a pessimistic way to face the future. I know we'll cope with whatever happens but it would be so much easier to have some sort of daydream or plan wouldn't it?

baubles

At 54 all I looked at when I was called in to the office to me made redundant / retired was the pension and the redundancy money.
I just walked out of the office and never went back.
About 3 weeks after I left I had a phone call asking me to go back to show them how certain things worked.
Too bad. I had started working for Birmingham City Council.
My ex manager said I should not have cut myself off so quickly.

Frank

mollie

Officially I had my first retirement at 54 but I moved to Birmingham and got a lower paid job.
My pension and salary came to about the same as I was earning in London. I just had to put 2 monthly entries in my cheque book.
The odd thing was about 3 months after my first retirement I was invited to attend a retirement course.
I had to take a days annual leave for this.
Also one of the things they said was don't move house for a year. Too late. My house in London was sold and I had moved to Birmingham.

Frank

Mollie three or four years ago I wasn't ready for retirement, my DH even less so. There comes a time when it just seems like the right thing to do - the next stage in life. Exciting, if a little scary.

You all make it sound great. I'm about a decade off becoming an official pensioner but OH is a bit younger so we've a while to go. Sadly he can't imagine being retired, it scares him and his reaction scares me. I need to help him feel optimistic about life after work even without much in the kitty. An uphill struggle I think but at least you've given me some great ideas. Thanks.

I'm happily planning for my retirement which an app on my phone tells me is now 39 weeks away I have applied to volunteer at the commonwealth games next year, I've contacted the local high schools enquiring about invigilating at exams and I've registered with local volunteering groups.

OH has already completed the first year of a degree course while still holding down a full time job. He will retire before i do and he become a full time student

We intend to back pack around the Greek islands for a while next year.

Can hardly wait to be 60.

I went to an Italian class for a term. Eventually I did what I had never done before - I quit! The teacher was so bad that I couldn't put up with him any longer. He was Italian, but hadn't a clue about teaching. The Open University might have something for you Frank - I enjoyed the creative writing course - or, if you join the U3A, there are masses of informal groups where we learn from each other. Have a look at their web site.

annodomini

There are a few adult education courses I would like to do.
The problem is they often run for say 16 weeks on the same day and I may be ok some of the weeks but I may miss half of the classes.

Oddly I know a lot more about my laptop which I can go on at any time than when I was at work.

I think there must be a lot more pensioners in the same position.

Frank